-ence is a new collaborative project between free improviser Paul Stapleton and electronic musician and 1/3 of Belfast electro-pop band Not Squares, Ricki O'Rawe. Their Dissensual Grooves LP sits between the uncertainty and openness of improvisation and the stability of the familiar palate of sounds and structures associated with dance music. A dis-sensual groove is one that appeals to a dancefloor’s desire for rhythm and movement while simultaneously disrupting its expectations, defamiliarising our engagement and slowing down our perceptions. Both Stapleton and O'Rawe are also academics and cultural theorists interested in exploring futurity and radical social change. With this multimodal project, which spans experimental instrument design, live improvisation, critical writing, and recorded music releases, they are going to "make the club strange".
The two tracks feature the following sections that connect and play seamlessly:
A
00:00 - 03:16 I always hear trains
03:16 - 04:49 Infinite blue void
04:49 - 09:28 Coincidence
09:28 - 12:01 The Great Parataxis
12:01 - 14:54 El accidente de aviación
B
00:00 - 02:50 Breathing of the leaves
02:50 - 07:21 Catch yourself from falling
07:21 - 09:54 In futures’ loving arms
09:54 - 13:55 Bruma
Remixes come from Belfast's experimental electronic quarter - Son Zept and This Ship Argo both bring off the wall reinterpretations of the "Dissensual Grooves" LP.
-ence bios:
Paul Stapleton designs and improvises with a variety of metallic sound sculptures and custom-made electronics in settings ranging from Echtzeitmusik venues in Berlin to the annual NIME conference. He has received critical acclaim for his sound design work as part of the audio theatre piece Reassembled, Slightly Askew. Paul is currently Professor of Music at SARC, Queen’s University Belfast, where he teaches and supervises research in musical instrument design, performance, and critical studies in improvisation.
www.paulstapleton.net
Ricki O’Rawe is a researcher and musician based in Belfast. His research explores the intersections of art with politics and religion in Latin American visual and literary cultures. As a musician he has released two albums (Yeah OK, 2011; Bolts, 2015) with the Belfast/London-based group Not Squares. As an artist he has exhibited in the Naughton Gallery and Platform Arts, most recently in collaboration with Liam Crichton (Echo Chamber, Multiple Locations, 2016).
released January 29, 2021
Music written by Paul Stapleton and Ricki O'Rawe
Mastered by Steve Loss
Artwork by Agnieszka Goch and Ciaran Bermingham
Released by Resist-AV 2020
With thanks to the support of PRS Foundation.